More than just a pretty face....
and other observations on school libraries and teacher-librarianship
BCTLA Bookmark, Vol. , No. , June pp
Building a Program
While no surprise to most of you, I have once again been forcibly reminded
that there continues to be a incredible range of understandings about the
school library. I was fortunate to be involved as a consultant in the
construction of a new elementary school. My task was to assist the
principal and the staff in final considerations respecting the library, computer
considerations and other pertinent matters. I had a few days to meet with
the staff, review all the current plans, meet with the principal and the
architects, and visit other schools in the District and outside. It
was an illuminating experience.
Without getting into the details of the particular situation which would
take much to much of your attention, may I comment briefly on some of the
observations that emerged from my explorations.
1. The architects I met had only a superficial view of the library
in the school. It was clear that most of their understandings came
not from the field but from their own perceptions of what a school library
should be. What went down on paper was a blend of their hypothesis
and the Ministry’s limits on space. In my recent case, the library
was a place for reading for no provision had been made for computer points
or electrical services beyond one duplex plug in the library "office".
My questions about the overall function of the space was met with genuine
interest reflecting a real desire to know what was missing. But
what was missing, or better, what had been missed was an investigation, a
search for answers. This architect’s office did not know that the Ministry
had published a major document entitled "Developing Independent Learners"
that eloquently defines the functions of the place as a learning program
in the school, nor were they aware that two major national associations existed
to help define the role and function of the school library resource centre.
It was all new. Yet this firm had designed many schools and many school
libraries.
2. If the District has not developed extensive documentation on the
role of the school library and if it does not employ a coordinator or consultant
for school libraries or learning resources, it is likely that few teachers
will be in a position to assist the new principal in designing the new space.
In this particular case, the new school was replacing an old one and the
staff was in place. I was struck by the interest that staff exhibited
in the notion of the school library program - a program that had not been
possible due to priorities in the school and district. There had never
been a "teacher-librarian" in place - only teachers who worked part-time
in the library. Here was a new library about to be dropped on
a group of teachers and they wanted it to work! But then there is little
likelihood they will get a teacher-librarian who could help make it all work.
3. We have Ministry guidelines that provide great spaces for school
libraries in new schools, but at the same time we have little Ministry direction
to the field that would ensure that the space is well developed and defined.
There is something very wrong here that begs to be addressed but for many
schools those hard questions will simply never be asked. I wonder how
the Ministry can provide funds for programs that cannot exist. Surely
the program should come before the space necessary to hold it!
4. We ask principals to perform herculean feats of administrative
and philosophical gymnastics when we ask them to consider the extent of the
library program in a new school long before they have a staff or students,
and without necessary assurances that they will have appropriate start-up
funding for materials and equipment. It is all very vague unless the
District has established priorities and positions on these vital areas or
has the consultative power in District that can be activated. It is
hard to understand how anything could be built without very clear and defined
expectations. That can prove to be problematic as well when a well
meaning teacher-librarian helps to design a space that only he or she could
manage.
5. If the architect and the principal and the Board Office people who
develop facilities do not have a clear perception on even the general dimensions
of the role and purpose of the school library, it is not surprising that
we manage to continue to perpetuate the errors of the past. It seems
clear to me that the learning resource centre (or the library media centre
or what ever we call this thing) has distinctly different characteristics
than a young adult or children’s section of a public library. Yet my
experience leads me to conclude that we have not managed to move our message
into the psyche of those who determine the shape of the structure we will
strive to use for our programs. So we get bright, hot skylights, huge
workrooms, enormous checkout desks, inadequate space for small group work
or whole class use, fixed cabinetry, impossible lighting, lofty high ceilings,
reading pits, no display space, and so on.
I suspect that whoever has won the election will begin
a major school building program next year. It is imperative that we
let the politicians, planners, architects, administrators and bureaucrats
know that the school library is not just a space complete with shelves and
tables and chairs. We have to ensure that the space is designed towards
a purpose that is not just pretty and nice, but actually meets a need in
the educational planning of the school. And that discussion may well
bring us back to the really BIG questions about the nature of learning resources
in the school, the training and competencies of the teacher-librarian, and
the function of the library resource centre in the school’s educational program.
What happened to the school that built the new library?
Well it has a big, lofty, central space that has huge skylights, a few books,
tables and chairs, nice carpeting, colorful paintwork, an empty office, and
a swell circulation desk. It does not have any time for a teacher-librarian
.
Donald Hamilton